Agenda - 01-16-1999- 3 - Laserfiche WebLink

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r1o, EFLAND VOLUNTEER PRE DEPARTMENT Dec 17, 1998 To: Orange Co. Board of Commissioners From: Efland Volunteer Fire Department Re: 1999 Goal Setting Retreat Statement The department has a number of objectives for 1999. We are in the process of renovating and repairing the station. Gutters, eves, and other exterior surfaces are being repaired and painted. The inside of the station has been painted. The kitchen has new cabinets where insect damage has occurred. The stove is being upgraded to gas so that all the appliances and HVAC are gas operated. This will allow us, at some future date, the option of installing a transfer switch so that it is easier to run the entire station from a small generator. We are continuing with our program of purchasing two firefighter's worth of equipment each year (approximate cost $ 8,000) so that our personal protective gear is in good working condition and our firefighters are safe. Our commitment to training continues. We have three participants in the Junior Fire Fighter program. We continue to schedule classes throughout the yea . r to assist firefighters in obtaining their Level I and 11 certification. We are particularly proud that at Hand, as with other departments, more and more of our firefighters find full time positions in the paid municipal departments. The volunteer rural departments are becoming a primary source of qualified, trained firefighters for the municipal departments. Despite this growing role in the county, there is a disturbing trend towards limiting access to resources that are best shared by the county departments. Our efforts to obtain a better ISO grade (insurance rating) continue. This has proven to be a very long, detailed task for which there is little assistance from county resources. We still are committed to the effort, since it provides us with the only way to decrease the burden on our taxpayers while increasing the value of their fire protection- a rare event in governmental services. There are some areas of concern we have that are appropriate to voice at long term goal planing retreats. Their solution also requires the sort of broad overview that is most appropriate at the county commissioner level. We present them here in a non-critical "heads up" fashion. Overall, we have a good working relationship with the various county agencies we work with and feel that the few problems we are about to state are more a result of a lack of overall understanding than a problem with a given agency. Ten years ago, we purchased our firs ' t out engine/pumper and it cost about $ 128,000. To purchase a similarly equipped unit today would cost around $